Thursday, 30 April 2015

On Wednesday because of the appalling weather we had to abandon Swinemoor for Tophill Low. Luckily, the worst of the rain stopped just before the class started. On both sessions a glorious Mistle Thrush was singing in the poplars above the car park. In the morning we headed south. We heard a Reed Warbler in South Lagoon, but the first bird of interest we saw was a Yellow Wagtail on the wall of 'O' reservoir. Just before that Richard explained to the group the changes around East Pond, and the results which should come about from these improvements.

Yellow Wagtail

Near the first hide on SME were singing Lesser Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler. From the hide we saw a pair of Shoveler and a pair of Gadwall. Otherwise, the rest of the birds there were Black-headed Gulls which had flown in from North Cave Wetlands. We could hear a Cetti's Warbler singing near the hides to our right, and see plenty of Sand Martins swarming in that area.

Garden Warbler

The next hides had 2 Garden Warblers singing nearby, plus Chiffchaffs, a Willow Warbler and a Lesser Whitethroat with its partner. From the hide itself we could see a Pochard, Shoveler, and Canada Geese, whilst further away John spotted what looked like a Goldeneye on the island beyond the reeds.

Goldeneye

LRPs

From the L-shaped hide the Goldeneye was very easy to see. There were a pair of Little Ringed Plovers, some rather romantic Mute Swans, plus a Pochard, and a Shoveler. A pair of Greylags swam past with their 7 goslings. One of the Lesser Whitethroats from the previous area came towards the hide and perched on top of a bramble bush. Shortly afterwards Miles spotted a Stoat scrambling down the bank underneath the Sand Martin cliff.

Love isn't in the water, instead Love is in the Air!

Mute Swans (c) 2015 Aileen Urquhart

Greylags

Greylags (c) 2015 Aileen Urquhart

Alderfly on Tony's Jacket [ID thanks to B.Warrington]

Lesser Whitethroat

On coming out of the hide and heading towards South Scrub we were arrested by the sight of 3 Sparrowhawks all in the air at the same time. 2 were certainly females, but the 3rd wasn't examined closely before it disappeared into the trees, however it didn't appear to be noticeably smaller than the other two. On the return journey a Kestrel was plucking its prey on the wall of O reservoir in the same area as the earlier Sparrowhawks.

Female Sparrowhawk

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

Kestrel

Ditto

Watton Borrow Pits added Lapwing, Cormorants and Herons, but not too much extra. There was a shy Goldcrest in South Scrub, but it didn't give great views.

Swift

Delightful April Weather & Anthony

In the afternoon we went north instead. 2 prominent West Yorkshire birders went into North Marsh hide, so we carried on to Hempholme Meadows. On the way we saw our first Swift of the year. There wasn't a great deal to see in the hide, but the bird of the day was what may have been a female Cuckoo. She flew past slowly twice, and then swiftly the final time, but she didn't call on any occasion, so is less likely to have been a male. A Little Egret was concealed behind the thick sedge, but there wasn't a great deal of anything else to see here. We started to return, but noticed some threatening clouds and reached a hide before a massive hailstorm arrived. Anthony from the am group seemed to choose the wrong moment to return to the car park!

Sedge Warbler

Osprey Platform

A record shot of a Blackcap Pretending it's a Leaf Warbler

We retraced our steps to North Marsh, but again there was very little to see. A Blackcap (a Sylvia Warbler) was seen behaving just like a leaf warbler. A Willow Warbler was singing outside the hide, and a Treecreeper heard calling nearby. There were relatively few birds on 'D' reservoir apart from Tufted Ducks, but hundreds of Sand Martins skimmed over the water. Finally, a visit to North Lagoon added plenty of Gadwall and a pair of Little Grebes.

Tuesday, 28 April 2015

On Tuesday we travelled all the way to everyone's favourite Lincolnshire Reserve. Unfortunately, we were hampered by a very cold wind, and this made some of the summer visitors very hard to find. We were five minutes from completion when a hail shower stopped us in our tracks. Hopefully, next year we will avoid winter by moving our visit here to later in May.

Yesterday I rose at 4.30, and was on the road for 6.25 to try & photograph Nightingales before the classes started. There had been a severe frost for the first time, and it was perishingly cold, and this may be one reason why the Nightingales were noticeable by their absence. I did find one however, on the southern edge of Coot Lake around the first bench. Although the Nightingales continued to confound for the rest of the day, the Warblers did us proud.

Garden Warbler

Nightingale

Ditto

Ditto

In the morning Garden Warblers were chasing each other all over the place, and then were themselves chased by Blackcaps. There were Willow Warblers, Chiffchaffs and Lesser Whitethroats singing, but Common Whitethroats were imitating the elusive Nightingales.

Garden Warbler

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

Ditto

Lesser Whitethroat

Blackcap

Chiffchaff

Ditto

Treecreeper

Before the afternoon group started we were buttonholed by an ancient "meeter and greeter", who pointed out 3 Mediterranean Gulls through his telescope.He started talking about the Nightingales, which he insisted numbered 10 individuals singing on the reserve. However, when I asked why on this particular occasion they were so reluctant to sing, he was lost for words until he stumbled out that it may be because they have only just arrived. In the past I've found that is exactly when they are at their most voluble. The Nightingale was as hard to locate in the afternoon, but we could hear another singing at the other side of the water. Unfortunately, when we ventured over there, it had gone quiet again! In the afternoon Garden Warblers actually posed out in the open, as did a single Lesser Whitethroat.

Spring /Summer Term

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Spring Course Details

Bookings for the 10-week Spring term has started. At the time of writing there are a couple of vacancies on Thursday afternoons, followed by Wednesday afternoons and Friday afternoons. I'm afraid I cannot take any more bookings on the Tuesday morning or Friday morning sessions. If you are interested in another session, please ask. For at least 2 hours a week encounter the natural world as a completely new sensual experience. You'll be amazed what you'll find just by listening, and not only by looking! In the Spring we'll be paying special attention to birdsong. If you want help sorting out your Sedge Warblers from your Reed Warblers, and pointing out the differences between singing Blackcaps and Garden Warblers then this is the place to be. We are going to locations where you will hopefully see, and not just hear Cuckoos. We are also planning to visit sites with Turtle Doves, Redstarts and other special summer visitors. So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for less than £10 a week, then this is the course for you! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. This also includes mammals, and fungi with butterflies, and dragonflies. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. If you are interested in more details of the course, or wish to be placed on a waiting list, please leave a comment next to one of my posts or email me on mflowers81@live.co.uk

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